Gate.



PATENTED APR; 14, 1908.

D. E. STETLER.'

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1901.

Vea- WOW THE NORRIS PETERS $0.. wasnmaran, a. c.

DANIEL E. STETLER, OF MEDFORD, OKLAHOMA.

GATE

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 14, 1908.

Application filed May 29, 1907. Serial No. 376,326.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known-that I, DANIEL E. STETLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Medford, in the county of Grant and State of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to gates, and has for its object to produce a gate frame which can be formed from hollow tubing and has the main portion constructed from wire or other light material.

The main object of the invention, however, is to so construct the hinge end of the gate that a portion of the gate frame may serve as a portion of the hinge and permit of the gate being swung in one or two directions without interfering with the other means of support in any manner.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the inventiom-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gate embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the hinge end; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the corner pieces.

Referring more particularly to the draw.- ings, 1, 1, indicates the top and bottom pieces of the gate, and 2 the vertical piece at the free end of the gate. These pieces are secured together in the ordinary manner by the bends 3 and rivets 3, and the vertical piece 2 is provided with a latch 4. Secured to the rear or hinge end of the rails or pieces 1 are two tubular castings 5, each of which is provided with a screw-threaded end 6 for engagement with one of the rails 1, and also with two pro ections 7 and 8, one of the pro- 'ections being adapted to receive the outside rail 9, and the other one being adapted to receive a second rail 10.

The projection or socket 8 is screw-threaded, and the socket 7 is plain or unthreaded, and the threads in the socket 8 of the two connectors or castings 5 are opposite to each other, or right and left handed. The second or false rail 10 is unscrew-threaded at its 3 ends, whereby it is adapted to enter the socket 7 without rotation, and the rail 9 has its ends screw-threaded in opposite directions to correspond with the threads in the sockets 8, so that when the rail 9 is inserted in said sockets and rotated in the proper direction, said castings will be. drawn toward each other and the ends of the false rail 10 will be thereby seated in the sockets 7, and preferably rest against a shoulder or web 7' formed therein.

In the larger gates diagonally-arranged truss rods 11 are connected at their inner ends to the castings 5, as by being hooked into shouldered or perforated ribs 12, and have their free ends extending through the bends 3 and provided with nuts 13 for drawing them taut, thereby rigidly securing the parts of the gate together and with the rivets 3 preventing said corners from twisting or turning upon the screw-threaded ends of the rails.

When the interior or main portion of the gate is formed of cross rods or Wires 14, as shown in the drawings, the rails 1, 2 and 10 are perforated in the ordinary manner, and ordinary hooks 15 are secured therein for engaging with the wires and drawing them taut an d holding them in their proper position in relation to each other. If desired, one or more of the hooks may be extended through the false rail 10 and the outside rail 9, as shown at 16, for securing additional strength for the main portion of the gate, and also for preventing the accidental rotation or turning of the rail 9 when the gate is being used.

I prefer to support the gate at its inner or hinge end by means of a hinge, of which the vertical rail 9 forms a part. In this form of hinge, a bracket 17 is provided which is adapted to be secured to a post 18 in any desired manner, preferably by lag screws throughabase 19. The forward end of the bracket is provided with an open sided perforation 20, which is adapted to form a bearing for the rail 9.

A collar 21 is adjustably mounted on the rail 9, as by means of a set-screw 22, in position for engaging with the bracket, and thereby supporting the gate in position to be swung in either direction. The side of the collar in engagement with the bracket is cupshaped, as by being recessed annularly, as shown at 23, in which a flange or rim 24 on the bracket is adapted to be seated and thereby enable the collar to hold the rail in the opening 20 by preventing its lateral movement out of the cut-away portion in the side of said opening.

Two of the brackets and collars, as above described, are preferably used for supporting a gate, in which case one of the brac ets, as the lower one, is inverted and the collar is brackets are first secured. desired distance apart.

also inverted and placed below the bracket, so as to prevent the gate from being raised so as to permit the disengagement of the upper collar from its bracket. The collars are placed upon the rail 9, when the partsof the gate are being assembled in the factory. By constructing the hinge members in this manner, the brackets are interchangeable by inverting the bottom one, whereby its flange is placed upon its underside in position for en tering the recess of the bottom collar, which is also inverted. In hanging a gate, the to the post at the The upper collar is then adjustably secured to the outer rail in position for holding the gate at the desired height or elevation. The lower collar is then moved up into engagement with the underside of the bottom bracket and rigidly secured, which will prevent upward movement of the gate. The gate can be adjusted at any time by changing the position of the collars, up or down upon the rail, and it can be removed from the brackets by loosening the lower collar and slipping it down far enough to permit the upper collar to be raised out of engagement with the flange of the upper bracket and then moving the rail of the gate out of the openings in the bracket. In the larger gates, additional vertical cross pieces 25 may be arranged at suitable distances between the top and bottom rails 1, two of such braces being shown in the drawings.

As above described, it will be seen that my improved gate can be very cheaply constructed and that it will be extremely light and extraordinarily strong and rigid, thereby peculiarly adapting it for-use, and. especially with large gates. It can be assembled or put together by the ordinary mechanic, without the use of special tools, and by utilizing the outside rail for a hinge the possibility of getting the gate off its hinges is absolutely avoided, and additional strength is provided at a point where it is desirable. The rails are formed from ordinary hollow tubing or gas pipes, and the connections are easily cast and screw-threaded in the ordinary manner.

Although the particular form of hinge is shown and described herein, it is not claimed, as a separate application has been filed. for it.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is:

In a gate, a frame comprising upper and lower rails and a front end member, coupling elbows connecting the end member to the forward ends of the rails and provided with perforations, connectors provided on the rear ends of the rails and each having a pair of vertically disposed sockets and a perforated web, the inner and outer sockets of the members being opposed respectively to each other and the inner sockets being plain and the outer sockets screw-threaded in relatively reverse directions, a rear end. piece having its ends loosely seated in the inner sockets, a hinge piece having its ends threadedinto the outer sockets, said hinge piece being operable for drawing the connectors toward each other to clamp the rear end member in place within the inner sockets, wire engaging members passing through the frame-pieces of the gate, one of said engaging members being extended through the rear end piece and hinge piece for holding the latter against rotation, lattice wires terminally engaged with said engaging members, and diagonal braces passed at one end through the perforated elbows and having their other ends engaged with the perforated webs of the connectors. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witl nesses. l l

DANIEL E. STETLERv J. P. BECKER,

Witnesses: l D. D. S'rErLEa. 

